Spice Is The Variety Of Life At Ruby Of Siam Thai Restaurant

Given the quality of food served at Ruby of Siam in Bannockburn, dishes like Pad Thai and Som Tum may soon be as familiar to Lake County residents as burgers and fries.

Veteran restaurateurs Sunipa and Pallop Dhalawong opened the restaurant in early September, followed by a second spot in Glencoe a few weeks later. Because everything is cooked to order, the spice level can be easily adjusted. Ask for ``medium`` or ``mild`` unless you really have an asbestos palate. Thai food tends to be quite flavorful, and cutting down on the ``heat`` won`t render it tasteless.

Leading off the menu are a variety of appetizers, including satay made with pork or chicken and served with cucumber salad and a wonderful, made-on- site peanut sauce. A soup course also makes a nice starter. Tom Yum has a pleasantly sour taste, courtesy of the lemon grass, fresh lime juice and kaffir leaf (a member of the lime family) used to season it. Straw mushrooms, chicken broth, chili paste and a choice of beef, chicken or pork complete the list of ingredients.

Pallop`s house-made coconut ice cream contains bite-size chunks of jackfruit, an inclusion that adds a great deal of textural interest.

Sunipa advises diners to follow a few basic guidelines when ordering. She observes, ``Western meals are generally built around a main entree and several side dishes. In a restaurant, everyone is served separately, and sharing is the exception rather than the rule. A Thai meal is very different. All of the dishes are of equal importance, and everything is meant to be shared.``

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Ruby of Siam, 2553 Waukegan Rd., Bannockburn Green Shopping Center, Bannockburn, is open 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Thursday, 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Friday and Saturday, and 4 to 9 p.m. Sunday. There is a special lunch buffet ($5.95) from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Monday through Friday. Phone 940-8292.